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Marion George Romney (1897-1988)
}} Democrat member of Utah State Legislature (1934-1936) Assistant to the LDS 12 Apostles (1941-1951) Apostle of the LDS Church (1951-1988) President of the Quorum of 12 Apostles (1985-1988) 2nd Counselor in the LDS First Presidency (1972-1982) 1st Counselor in the LDS First Presidency (1982-1985) He was an Apostle in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and cousin to George W. Romney (Governor of Michigan and father to 2012 US Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney) . He was elected to the Utah state legislature in 1934 as a Democrat. He was an assistant prosecuting attorney in Salt Lake City. Vital Stats * Son of George Samuel Romney (1874-1935) and Terressa Artemesia Redd (1874-1964) * 1897-Sep-19 : Birth in Colonia Jaurez, Chihuahua, Mexico * 1920-1923 : LDS Missionary to Australia * 1924-Sep-12 : Marriage to Ida Olivia Jensen (1890-1979) in the LDS Salt Lake Temple performed by then LDS Apostle Joseph Fielding Smith. * 1934 : Elected to Utah State Legislature * 1951 : Ordained apostle in the LDS Church to fill vacancy caused by death of President George Albert Smith * 1988-May-20 : Died in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, USA Biography Romney was born in Colonia Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico, to parents who had come from the United States. His grandparents on both sides had left the U.S. to avoid prosecution under laws prohibiting the Mormon practice of plural marriage. Marion Romney was the oldest of their ten children. Romney's younger sister, Lurlene Romney Cheney, was baptized in the Roman Catholic church and later became Sister Mary Catherine of the Carmelite order, a cloistered nun, at the Carmel of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Holladay, Utah. (Salt Lake Tribune, 9-19-09, p. C2) Romney studied at Juarez Academy until his family left Mexico in 1912, as violence from the ongoing Mexican revolution spread to their region. He spent the remainder of his youth in California and Idaho. In 1917 the Romney's moved to Rexburg, Idaho where George S. Romney took the position of principal of Ricks Academy. Romney completed his high school study at Ricks as valedictorian of his class in 1918. From 1920 to 1923 Romney was an LDS Church missionary in Australia. After his return from his mission, he worked in construction in Salt Lake City for his uncle Gaskel Romney (the father of George W. Romney). Marion Romney and Ida Jensen were married on September 12, 1924 in the Salt Lake Temple. The marriage was performed by Joseph Fielding Smith. After Romney began studying at the University of Utah. He received a bachelor's degree in political science and history in 1926. Romney then studied law at the University of Utah, but did not complete course work there. He passed the Utah bar exam in 1929. Before his call to be a general authority, Romney was an assistant prosecuting attorney in Salt Lake City. He had previously worked for the post office. He also was elected to the Utah state legislature in 1934 as a Democrat. While running for the state legislature he accepted a call as a bishop from his stake president, Bryant S. Hinckley. Due to his election to the state legislature his ordination as a bishop was delayed until after the end of the legislature's term, in April 1935. While in the legislature Romney had been a key figure in writing Utah's Liquor Control Law. After the end of that session of the legislature Romney resigned from the legislature. Children of Marion Romney Romney and his wife Ida had three children, only one of whom, George J. Romney, lived past the age of one year. Richard J. did live to adulthood, served a mission, and in April 1983 read Marion Romney's general conference talk for him. The Romneys also had an adopted child, Richard Jensen Romney. # Baby Romney (1925-1925) - died young # Richard J Romney (1927-2005) - adopted son # Janet Ida Romney (1930-1930) - died young # George J Romney - is still living? References * Romney Family Ancestry * George Romney List of Famous Descendants * Marion G Romney - profile on LDS.org * Marion G Romney - Wikipedia Profile * Pratt Romney Family - notable descendants of the Pratt-Romney family. __SHOWFACTBOX__